Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

11/22/2011 at 11:00am

Image by Mark Wagner

Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen

Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen understands what Bobby Petrino is enduring as well as anyone possibly could. And Mullen knows there is nothing in the playbook that can ease the grief of that comes in the wake of losing a player and teammate.

Mullen and the Bulldogs lost Nick Bell to cancer in 2010. It was an emotional time for the program much like what Arkansas is experiencing with the sudden death of 19-year-old tight end Garrett Uekman.

“Going through it last year, it still sticks with our program,” Mullen told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. “It’s not something you’re going to shake away. We handled it the right way, or we handled it the wrong way. You just have to let your feelings out, and if you let your feelings out, I think you’ll be able to deal with it better.”

LSU Coach Les Miles, whose top-ranked Tigers (11-0, 7-0 in the SEC) face No. 3 Arkansas (10-1, 6-1) on Friday at 1:30, also said he reached out to Petrino. While the two coaches didn’t talk, Miles did deliver a message to the Razorbacks and Uekman’s family.

Miles recruited Uekman out of Little Rock Catholic High.

"I really want to express my condolences for my team and our school in recognition of the death of tight end Garrett Uekman," Miles said. "The loss of him to the Arkansas team and to his family is certainly felt."

"I wanted them to know that we share their pain and their grief," Miles added during his weekly press luncheon.

Uekman died of unknown causes Sunday. He was found unresponsive in his dorm room and pronounced dead at Washington Regional Hospital.

Tagged: Arkansas Razorbacks, Dan Mullen, LSU Tigers, Les Miles, Bobby Petrino, Garrett Uekman, Mississippi State Bulldogs